Lineland

[Shag Miller]

I'm a member of the list, though don't want to identify myself.  I received the 
following email message yesterday.  It may interest some of you.  Jules Siegel 
is planning once again to capitalize on his (marginal?) relationship with 
Pynchon by putting out a book made up (apparently) of excerpts from the 
interchanges he provoked on Pynchon-L.  I've always assumed list posts are 
protected by the same common-law copyright provisions that apply to one's own 
manuscripts.  Beyond that assumption, which is open to practical question on the 
Internet, I fail to understand why Jules Siegel or Dale Larson (sweet irony in 
the surname), the publisher of Intangible Assets Manufacturing, should profit 
from our casually written messages.  The text of Larson's message follows.

Date: Tue, 22 Apr 1997 13:10:09 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Dale L. Larson" <dale at iam.com>
Subject: Lineland!
MIME-Version: 1.0
Apparently-To: e.a.weinstein at qmw.ac.uk
Apparently-To: ebiri1 at aol.com
Apparently-To: georgej at georgejames.com
Apparently-To: ghaberbe at frontiernet.net
Apparently-To: grip at netcom.com
Apparently-To: geirland at aol.com
Apparently-To: hag at iafrica.com
Apparently-To: herlahp at inet.uni-c.dk
Apparently-To: j.d._p._lafrance at ridley.on.ca
Apparently-To: jbisso at us.oracle.com
Apparently-To: jcm at mat.upm.es
Apparently-To: kyburz at asu.edu
Apparently-To: larsson at vax1.mankato.msus.edu
Apparently-To: mackin at allware.com
Apparently-To: maas at cutr.eng.usf.edu
Apparently-To: mantaray at aol.com
Apparently-To: mascaro at humnet.ucla.edu
Apparently-To: meikle at mail.utexas.edu
Apparently-To: mglosup at randomc.com
Apparently-To: namdeirf at gwis2.circ.gwu.edu
Apparently-To: opsgmm at uccvma.ucop.edu
Apparently-To: padgett at intellicorp.com
Apparently-To: paul.murphy at utoronto.ca
Apparently-To: pelovitd at gusun.acc.georgetown.edu
Apparently-To: plachazu at ccnet.com
Apparently-To: rr.tfcny at mail.fdncenter.org
Apparently-To: tejas at infi.net
Apparently-To: tstanton at nationalgeographic.com
Apparently-To: vaska at geocities.com
Apparently-To: vjvaro at erie.net
Apparently-To: willl at weldschool.com
Apparently-To: yenamand at cs.umn.edu

I'm writing you because you appear in the new book "Lineland: Mortality and
Mercy on the Internet's Pynchon-L at Waste.Org Discussion List"  I'll be posting
our press release to Pynchon-L shortly with more details (also available at
http://www.iam.com/lineland), and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't mention
it to the list until I do. I'm sure you're going to enjoy this book. 
Everyone in it is presented fairly, and the list as a whole appears to 
the reader as a likeable cast of characters -- I know I liked you all 
when I read Lineland.

I'd like to send you a copy of the book. To do so, I need your snail mail
address.  We at IAM will keep these confidential, and they will only be 
used to mail your copy of the book.

If you're interested, we'd be happy to put on our web site (and maybe in
future editions of the book) a line or two of biography. Just email ASAP with
your bio so readers can know a little more about who you are and where 
you're coming from. (We may edit these for length.)

If any of you wish to review the book immediately and have an assignment to
do so, we can probably get you advance proofs -- get in touch. College papers
are fine for this -- any fucking rag at all. IAM is a small press, and thus
we can use any help we can get to spread the word, but please don't request
advance proofs unless you can follow through. Jules said, "Tell them that I
said here is their chance to get even with me. They can *kill* the book -- if
they can stop laughing long enough. Tell them that I said if they take a
freebie and don't deliver the review (no matter how bad) One-Eyed Louie will
arrive at the offender's home in an M-1 tank and drive through the living
room." 

Sincerely,

Dale L. Larson
Publisher
Intangible Assets Manufacturing

P.S. Those of you who sent books to Jules or otherwise stand out: Jules will
have a special edition to send those of you, details to be worked out at 
a future date.


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